A Child's Wish
by Bookworm810
Summary: When Kagome suddenly dies, leaving behind a baby daughter Inuyasha vowes that he will never love again and dedicates his life to being the best father he can be. Five years later, still mourning his lost love, a child's wish may just be what he needs.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha. While the plot and the lovely little Takara are my creations, everything else belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I make no profit off this, and do it only for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours.**

**Prologue – Loss**

For the first time that Inuyasha could remember, he let his tears flow freely down his face as he released a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a sob, as he held the bloody and lifeless body of his Mate in his arms.

How could it have come to this? How could everything have gone so wrong in the space of less than a day? Just that morning they had been so happy. Everything had been going so well, they were finally together without all the issues of the past dragging them down. The village fully accepted them, as did Kagome's family, hell even Sesshomaru had called a truce and had called Kagome 'a worthy mate, for a human'. They were even expecting their first child within a month, a Kagome had a name picked for a girl that she was determined to use.

Things were going well for their friends too. Shippo had finally tracked down some of his Kitsune relatives who had been more than willing to take him in, and who lived (surprisingly) only an hour's journey away, so he was able to come back and visit anytime he wanted. Kohaku had been freed from his dependence on the Shikon No Tama Shard – thanks to Sesshomaru – and was on his way to recovering from the memory of everything he had done while under Naraku's control. Miroku was finally free of the curse that had plagued him since birth, and he and Sango were happily married and expecting a child of their own. Everything was wonderful.

Then everything turned to crap, when just after lunch that horde of demons had attacked the village without warning. They were after the Shikon Jewel, which despite Kagome's best efforts she had been unable to purify completely. He and the others had fought as hard as they could, but with Miroku's Wind Tunnel gone, and Kagome and Sango both so heavily into their pregnancies, there was only so much they could do. By the time it was over, many of the villagers were dead or fatally wounded. Including his precious Kagome. Kaede had done everything she could, but she had been hurt just too badly, there was nothing anyone could do. And now, his Kagome was gone.

Inuyasha didn't know how long he sat there crying, until another, younger cry broke through his misery, to remind him he was not alone. Kaede had been able to do nothing to save Kagome. However, their pup had survived, most likely because of her demon blood. With a heavy heart, Inuyasha gently released the body of his dead love and moved over to pick up his daughter.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered softly. "I couldn't save her."

Inuyasha took a long moment to examine his daughter, the last piece of Kagome he had. Her eyes were golden like his, and she had his ears. However her hair was raven black and her face looked so much like his beloved's that it almost broke his heart all over again.

"I guess it's just the two of us now." He said softly, as he cuddled his daughter to his chest and rocked her gently. "I don't know much about being a father, but I promise I'll do my best to be the best father I can be, just like your mother wanted. She loved you so much you know, and wanted so badly to meet you. She even had a name picked out, would you like to hear it? Of course you would, it's yours now after all. Takara."

**Author's Note: **This is an old story of mine. It has already been posted on Mediaminer, DeviantArt and Eternal Destiny, and now it is being added here as well.


	2. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha. While the plot and the lovely little Takara are my creations, everything else belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I make no profit off this, and do it only for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours.**

**Chapter 1 – Life Goes On**

Five years had past since that awful afternoon when Kagome had been taken from him, and a lot had changed since then. Inuyasha had expected that the villagers would turn on him after that, as he had failed to protect them. However, the fact that he too had that day lost the woman that he clearly loved more than life itself just earned him more sympathy in the eyes of the villagers and not one of them so much as said one harsh word in his direction. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, to go through the well and tell Kagome's family that she had died, but somehow he got through it. To his never-ending amazement, her family hadn't blamed him either and insisted that he and Takara were welcome there anytime.

Takara, his daughter, his angel, his reason for living. The last five years had been so hard on him, and there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't miss Kagome with all his heart and soul. There were still nights that he cried himself to sleep, missing the warmth of his Mate besides him. There were times when he wished he himself could just die, just to be with her once more. He would happily spend an entirety of torment in Hell, if only it meant Kagome would once again be by his side. But he knew he couldn't, not while the _other_ love of his life still needed him. He had made a promise to Takara, and to himself, to be the best father he could be and he was going to keep that promise, no matter what. And he did love his daughter, more than he could possibly say in words. She was so happy, so full of life and love. He couldn't stand the thought that if anything happened to him, she would be all alone, just as he had been when he was her age.

Then again, she wouldn't be all alone would she? Takara didn't just have him; she had a whole family that loved her. She had her mother's family on the other side of the well, who were always so happy to see her when she came to visit. And on this side, she had another grandmother (Kaede), an aunt (Sango), three uncles (her blood uncle Sesshomaru, as well as Miroku and Shippo) and four cousins her own age and younger.

Sango and Miroku had been busy the last five years, and were well on their way to having the ten or twenty children Miroku had once told Sango he wanted. Their eldest, Yukio, was barely two months younger than Takara. Inuyasha knew it had been hard on Miroku and Sango, knowing Kagome would never meet their son, but Inuyasha had privately rejoiced at his birth. He knew how much Kagome had been looking forward to their child having someone to play with, and he was immensely relieved that Sango had survived the birth, not wanting to loose anyone else who had become important to him. Yukio had been joined the following year by a daughter, Sachi, and six months ago by twin boys Akira and Kisho. Sango, when she wasn't pregnant, still worked as a demon slayer with Kohaku, though she usually restricted herself to the villagers nearby while Kohaku would handle problems at villagers that were farer away. Miroku, though he had lost his Wind Tunnel with the death of Naraku still retained his spiritual powers and now helped the ageing Kaede with her duties. They all knew that a new Miko would likely be needed before too much longer, as Kaede was already older than anyone else in the village. Kaede however, had so far been unwilling to take on an apprentice, as she didn't sense anyone in the village with the necessary spiritual power. That is, save for Takara, but Inuyasha was reluctant to let his daughter take on the kind of life her mother had lead, knowing full well the dangers than came with being a Miko.

Shippo, now seventeen years old and coming up to Inuyasha's shoulder, still came by to visit regularly. He adored Takara, as she did him. On his last visit, he had brought with him his new girlfriend, a Kitsune Hanyou by the name of Akako. The two were clearly in love, and Inuyasha was happy for his young friend, even as he felt a stab of pain in his heart at seeing what he had had but could never have again.

Not that Inuyasha didn't have options. He had diligently protected the village the last five years, never wanting anything like what happened five years ago to happen again. As a result, many of the young village women now saw him as _potential_husband material, despite his mixed heritage and the fact that he already had a daughter. In fact, some were even more drawn towards him because of Takara. Seeing how good and loving a father he was to her made many of them fantasize about how good a father he could be to their own children.

It also helped that Takara was so cute that it was hard not to love her. Last year one of the young village women in peculiar, Etsu, was especially drawn to the little quarter demon, and Takara seemed to like her back. Seeing this, and knowing how Etsu had wanted him for her husband, Inuyasha had briefly considered the possibility of taking her for his wife, if only so Takara could have a mother. While it was true that Inu-Youkai mated for life, once their mate died they were free to move on with another if they so wished. However, Inuyasha had quickly dismissed the idea. It would not have been fair to Etsu, or himself, as he knew his heart still belonged to Kagome and always would. Not only that, but he also had doubts that he would be able to love any children he did have with Etsu as much as Takara (as cold as he knew that sounded) and that certainly wouldn't be fair to them. Besides, it wasn't like Takara wasn't surrounded by people who loved her anyway. In the end, receiving no encouragement from Inuyasha, Etsu had married one of the village hunters, and had just found out that they were expecting their first child. Inuyasha was happy for her.

No, Inuyasha knew he would never find another Mate, would never love anyone as much as Kagome. Takara, and the Mating Mark on his arm (which had remained just as strong after her death) were constant reminders of the time he had shared with her, and no matter how much it hurt to remember her death, he would never regret being with her.

#

Takara was essentially a happy child, and felt herself to be very lucky. She had who she considered to be the best daddy in the world, and was constantly surrounded by people she knew loved her. She never went hungry or cold. She had more clothes and toys than just about any other child in the village, and thanks to her grandma on the other side of the well, many of them were unlike anything the rest of the village children had ever even imagined.

But still, she found herself growing upset at times. She may be young and not know everything yet, but she could easily see that all the other children in the village had _two_ parents. Why didn't she have a mommy too? She saw how her cousins were with her Aunt Sango, and she wanted that too. Not that she didn't love her daddy, but even she knew that there were just something's a mommy is better suited for. Her daddy was a bad cook for one. For another, she was growing up and knew there were something's girls didn't want boys to know, not even their daddy. Okay, she wasn't there yet, but she saw the older village girls and knew it was coming.

Then there was another thing that worried her. Her daddy was always so sad. He tried to hide it from her, but she knew it was there. She saw it in his eyes, especially when he looked at young couple in love, like he knew there was something missing in his life. She could sometimes hear him crying in his room late a night after she was supposed to go to bed. She knew he didn't mean for her to hear him, but her hearing was almost as good as his, so she did.

One day, while she was over playing with the cousins Yukio and Sachi, Takara worked up her courage to ask Aunt Sango why Daddy was always so sad?

She was surprised when Aunt Sango looked like she herself was about to cry, before asking Yukio and Sachi to go play outside for a while, and having Takara sit down. It was then that Aunt Sango told her, her daddy was sad because he still missed her mommy.

Takara was shocked, she never knew she even had a mommy, let alone that she had gone away. Seeing this as a chance for her and her daddy to both get what they wanted, she had eagerly asked where Mommy had gone, of a mind to find her and bring her back. Aunt Sango had looked even sadder, and told her gently that her mommy had gone to Heaven. Takara didn't ask anymore after that. Young as she was, she knew that Heaven was a place people didn't necessarily want to go to but had to, and going there meant that you could never come back. She remembered last year when old Rieko had gone to Heaven, her son had been so sad. So had she, old lady Rieko had always been nice to her, and given her fresh fruit from her very own tree when she saw her. No wonder Daddy was always sad.

The next time Takara woke up in the middle of the night to hear her daddy crying, she had clenched her fists into her sheets as hard as she could, and wished with all her might that Mommy could come home from Heaven and make Daddy happy again. She didn't want Daddy to be sad anymore.

Unknown to either Takara or Inuyasha, a certain Jewel in Inuyasha's room was able to pick up on Takara's wish. After that day when Kagome died, the group had known they could not keep the Jewel in sight anymore. Aside from the obvious problem that it attracted too many demons, Kagome had been the only one who was able to keep it pure. Worried that without her they would be unable to stop it from once again becoming tainted, Kaede and Miroku had worked tirelessly to create a box infused with spiritual energy that prevented it's aura to leave, or dark thoughts to enter. Inuyasha was entrusted with its protection and was the only one who was capable of opening the box, which he never did having no desire to even see the thing again. The Jewel had therefore remained dormant for five long years, but now sensing Takara's pure hearted wish for her father to once again be happy, it started to glow.


	3. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha. While the plot and the lovely little Takara are my creations, everything else belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I make no profit off this, and do it only for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours.**

**Chapter 2 – Could it be?**

The next morning started normally enough. Inuyasha and Takara had breakfast with Miroku, Sango and their children; something they did more often than not, seeing as Inuyasha's cooking skills were pretty much limited to fish-on-a-stick or instant ramen. As they ate, Sango found herself watching Inuyasha closely. She had still not told her friend that his daughter knew about Kagome, or at least a little. She knew Inuyasha had wanted to spare his daughter the pain of her death, but she had always thought that was a bad idea and the Takara should have been told about her mother long before now. From the look of things, Inuyasha didn't know yet, and Sango was reluctant to bring it up. In the end though, Sango decided it would be better for her to tell Inuyasha before he found out on his own. So, once breakfast was over, the children had been sent out to play and the dishes were washed, Sango moved to bring it up. However, she never got a chance, as just as she opened her mouth one of the village women ran in, calling for Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha-sama!" She panted, coming to a stop before him. "Inuyasha-sama, I was down by the river, about to do some washing, when I came across a young woman lying unconscious on the river bank. I don't know whom she is, and she doesn't seem to be hurt, but she's naked and I couldn't wake her up. I didn't know what to do."

"I'll go tell Kaede." Miroku said as he quickly hurried out the door.

Inuyasha glanced at Sango who quickly nodded her head and made shooing motions towards the door. "I'll watch Takara for you. Go!" Inuyasha nodded his thanks before bounding out the door to do just that.

A minute later, Takara come in looking confused. "Where'd Daddy run off too?"

"There's a woman hurt down by the river." Sango explained. "Your daddy went off to see if he could help."

Takara nodded, she knew her daddy was the village protector and always tried to help people. She hoped the woman was okay.

#

Inuyasha raced down to the river as fast as he could. Even if the woman didn't appear to be hurt, naked and lying unconscious on the riverbank? That couldn't be a good sign.

As Inuyasha approached the river, he smelt something familiar in the air, and for a moment his mind refused to acknowledge what it was. When it did seep into his disbelieving brain what he smelt, he almost fell over in shock.

'_No, it can't be!'_ He tortured heart cried._ 'She dead and nothing can bring her back, I can't think like that._ _It's just something that smells similar, that's all.'_ Still trying to convince himself, Inuyasha continued towards the river.

When Inuyasha arrived, he saw a young woman lying on the bank who he assumed was the one who had been hurt. She was lying on her side facing away from him, wearing an old kimono that he realised the village woman must have wrapped her in for the sake of modesty. He figured it must have been one of the things she had been planning on washing, seeing as it was rather dirty and didn't smell too great either. It didn't cover that wonderful smell that brought back so many memories that he was currently trying to suppress though.

Kneeling by the young woman's side was one of the older village women, Ishi. Inuyasha recognised her instantly as the mother of the boy Kagome had fished out of the river while they were chasing the Corpse Crow that had stolen the Jewel. Inuyasha tried to push that memory out of his mind too. He couldn't help it; it was that damn smell, the one that was _so_ much like Kagome's. Everything was reminding him of her, but he couldn't afford that right now. If he allowed himself to indulge in his memories, he knew he would likely break down crying and he couldn't allow that. Besides the fact that no one is ever meant to see a man cry, he couldn't let himself break down while there were people who needed him. It was what Kagome would have wanted.

Ishi noticed he was there and stood up to bow to him. She seemed rather nervous for some reason, although Inuyasha couldn't for the life of him figure out why. It wasn't like the two of them were on bad terms or anything. Well, sure her niece had expressed a brief interest in him, which he hadn't returned, but she had gotten over him quickly enough and married a merchant from a nearby village. There was no reason Ishi would hold a grudge over that, was there? And it wasn't like she was still upset over him basically dumping her son into the river while going after the Corpse Crow, she long ago forgiven him for that.

"Inuyasha-sama." Ishi said, nervously wringing her hands. "Kiku should not have sent for you, we could take care of the girl without your help."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked, confused as he stepped closer to the unconscious woman. "I always help out in instances like this, you know that."

"It's… it's just… Inuyasha-sama forgive Kiku if it upsets you, she didn't realise how much she resembles her!" Ishi said as Inuyasha moved to kneel by the unconscious woman's side, sounding somewhat frantic and not making a whole lot of sense. "She was gone before I could stop her, I was so shocked by how much they look alike. She never meet her, you know she only moved to this village three years ago after all."

"What are you babbling about?" Inuyasha asked, confused and exasperated. However and he reached over and gently rolled the woman onto her back, he had his answer as his heart stopped beating.

This woman, she looked exactly like Kagome, just as he remembered her from the morning before she was killed. The only difference was that unlike the Kagome from his memory, this one was clearly not pregnant and had the slim figure of a maiden. That, and this woman's face was somewhat dirty, although someone had clearly made an effort to clean her. But other than that, she was prefect, and Inuyasha felt a single tear run down his face despite his best efforts.

Seeing the tear, Ishi instantly panicked and started babbling apologies that Inuyasha only half heard. His thoughts were in chaos, as his heart and mind tried to make sense of what his senses were telling him.

After a full minute had past, so suddenly that Ishi let out a started yelp, Inuyasha scooped the young woman up and started running full speed back to Kaede's. No matter who this woman was she needed to have the old hag look at her.

But… who was she? Was this all just one more dream of Kagome coming back to him? Would he wake up in a moment to the bitter reality that Kagome was forever out of his reach? No, this felt far too real to be a dream. So then, was she some kind of reincarnation? Granted she was too old to be Kagome's reincarnation, seeing as she was at least twenty and Kagome had only died five years ago… but then again, Kikyo had likely been reincarnated a couple more times before she eventually became Kagome, right? But, if that was the case why did she look and smell _EXACTLY_ like his beloved Kagome? For all that Kikyo and Kagome were similar in looks, scents and power, there were still differences between them, differences that he couldn't see in this woman. Reincarnation really didn't make sense in this case. So was this all some crazy, heart-wrenching coincidence, or could it be that this really was Kagome, somehow, back from the dead and back in his arms? No, he told himself firmly as Kaede's hut came into sight, no he couldn't allow himself to think like that, he was only setting himself up to be hurt so much more. No.

Arriving at Keade's hut and barging in without knocking as usual, he wasn't surprised to see that Kaede was already at work laying out the herbs she thought she might need. However, Inuyasha did pause at the sight of Miroku helping the old Miko, and shifted the woman in his arms slightly so that the monk couldn't see her face. It was bad enough that he had to see her and be reminded of Kagome so much; his friends didn't need to suffer the same. He wouldn't have even brought her here for Kaede to see if it wasn't for the fact that she knew so much more about human illnesses and injuries than he did.

Tersely, Inuyasha told Miroku to get back to his Mate and pups, refusing to put down the young woman in his arms or let him see her. Miroku was more than a little confused by the Hanyou's request and expression, but as this seemed important to his friend and knowing he could be of little help anyway, Miroku left without a word.

Kaede was also confused, and was about to ask Inuyasha to explain himself when he gently put the young woman down on the futon she had set up, and she choked on her words. By all the Kami, this woman looked so much like Kagome! No wonder Inuyasha was so upset! Fighting back her tears, Kaede quickly went to work examining the young woman, while Inuyasha stood back, refusing to leave the hut. She found no sign of injury or disease, but she did notice one thing about her (besides her looks) that was somewhat disturbing.

"Inuyasha." Kaede said hesitantly. "Ye did not use the Jewel to wish Kagome back to life did ye?"

Inuyasha looked taken back by the question. "I… I thought about it in the past, after Sesshomaru told me he couldn't bring her back using Tenseiga. I never tried though, I was always too afraid the Jewel would twist my wish around."

"The reason I ask is because I sense the Jewel's power on this girl." Kaede said. "It's faint, very faint, but it's there."

"What?!" Inuyasha demanded. "But the Jewel's been sealed away for years."

"Have ye seen it lately, Inuyasha?"

"No." Inuyasha said, suddenly feeling nervous. "Once you sealed the damn thing away, I never wanted to look at it again."

"Perhaps ye should go check to see if it is still there, child." Kaede said, both worried and hopeful. Before she was even finished speaking, however, Inuyasha was out the door and running at full speed back to his own hut. Rushing past stunned villagers he reached his and Takara's home before hurrying inside and into his own room. Grabbing the box in question out of his chest of clothes (nearly empty as he preferred his Fire Rat ensemble more than any other clothes), he did what he had five years ago sworn he would never do and opened it. He didn't know whether he was surprised or not to see that it was empty.

He ran back to Kaede's hut, ignoring the villagers' calls asking him what was wrong, and quickly told the old Miko the news.

"What does all this mean, old hag?" He demanded.

His language didn't offend Kaede; it had clearly been a tiring morning for the Hanyou. "I… I think that this woman might really be Kagome." She said, her voice betraying both her joy and her fear.

"But that's impossible, I never made that wish!" Inuyasha cried. He wanted so badly for it to be true, but couldn't bear to have his heart broken if he got his hopes up to discover it was wrong.

"Maybe not out loud." Kaede said. "But if the desirers of the heart were strong enough, it is possible that the Jewel somehow heard them and made them come true. That would explain why the Jewel was gone, your love for Kagome may have very well been enough to purify the Jewel. I understand why ye are afraid Inuyasha, but this young woman might very well be our beloved Kagome brought back to us. Tell me, is her scent the same, as well as her looks?"

Inuyasha couldn't answer in words, and instead only nodded.

"I thought so." Kaede said. "Of course, we can not tell for sure until she awakens and we are able to see if she knows us."

At that moment, the young woman in question let out a low moan and opened her eyes slightly.


	4. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha. While the plot and the lovely little Takara are my creations, everything else belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I make no profit off this, and do it only for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours.**

**Chapter 3 – Reunited**

She didn't know where she was. The last thing she remembered was searing pain throughout her whole body. She knew she was going to die, and had begged those around her to forget about her and save her child. She couldn't bear to think that her precious baby might die with her. She also couldn't bear the sight of her Mate's pained expression, knowing as she did that she was beyond all hope. It was almost a relief when she passed out, no longer forced to see her own grief on her beloved's face. She just prayed that her child had somehow survived and that it and her Mate would find a way to live on without her.

The pain was gone now, though. Did that mean that she had died and was in Heaven? If that was true, what about her baby? Were they able to save her baby, or did he or she die with her? Oh Kami, and what about Inuyasha? He had been forced to go through so much pain and heartache in his life, would he be able to move on from this or would he follow her into death?

She had to know, but feared learning the answers. She heard voices speaking above her head, but she couldn't make out the words, except when she heard one of them say her name. Eventually gathering her courage, Kagome opened her eyes, expecting to see either the Kami, or a couple of angels, or something of that category standing above her.

Instead, once her vision cleared, Kagome was shocked to see the hopeful yet fearful face of Kaede kneeling above her. At the sound of movement, she turned her head just enough to see Inuyasha standing behind the elder miko, his face free of expression though his eyes held a kind of desperate hope.

"Inuyasha? Kaede? What's going on?" She asked in a whisper, just noticing how dry her mouth was.

"Kagome?" Kaede asked as if she couldn't quite bring herself to believe it. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me." Kagome said, more confused than ever. "What's going on? The last thing I remember, I was dieing, wasn't I?" Sitting up, Kagome looked down at herself, she realised that she was wearing a dirty Kimono she couldn't remember ever seeing before but was also in what appeared to be prefect health. All the wounds from her earlier battle were gone, but then again so was…

"Kaede, Inuyasha, what's going on?" Kagome demanded, now truly upset. "I know I was dieing a minute ago. And what happened to my…"

Kagome was cut off when Inuyasha's lips suddenly covered her own and his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a crushing embrace. It was as he listened to Kagome talk that he finally let himself believe that it was really her. Now, he couldn't contain his joy at having her back and kissed her with five years worth of built up love and desire, as tears of pure joy ran down his face. He knew she was confused and in need of answers, but right now he didn't care. Right now all he wanted to do was hold her, kiss her, and convince himself that she was really here.

Kagome was shocked, to say the least. There was nothing gentle about his kiss or his embrace; it was passionate, desperate, as if he feared at any moment she would disappear. After a moment, Kagome gave into her own desire and kissed him back with equal passion. From her point of view, it was just a few moments ago that she had feared she was losing him forever.

Kaede had tears of joy running down her face as she watched the two kiss. She too was overjoyed to have Kagome back, but she saw the need the two had to be alone at the moment. So after saying softly that she would leave the two alone – knowing that Inuyasha would hear her even if he would not respond – the old woman calmly got up and left the hut. Once outside she was approached by several of the villagers who wished to know what was going on, but Kaede refused to tell them. She knew that once news got out that Kagome had somehow been returned from the dead, everyone in the village would want to talk to her, and that now wasn't the time. Now, it was time for Inuyasha and Kagome to be together, and later she suspected it would be time for Kagome to become reacquainted with Sango and Miroku, and of course for her to meet Takara. The rest of the village could just wait until tomorrow to find out.

#

Inside the hut, Kagome's need for air and answers finally forced her to break off from the kiss though she remained firmly held in her Mate's embrace.

"Inuyasha I don't understand." Kagome said. "The last thing I remember was lying in this hut, hurting all over. I was sure I was going to die."

Inuyasha let out a chocked sob, as he pulled her closer so that her head rested against his chest.

"You were right." He softly said the words that so clearly hurt him. "You did die."

Kagome gasped, whatever she had been expecting to hear, that wasn't it. "But... then how…"

"I don't know." Inuyasha admitted. "I just found you down by the river unconscious earlier this morning. Also, the Jewel is gone, though I don't remember making a wish. Kaede think it might have picked up on my desire to have you back in my life and made it happen, even if I never actually wished it."

Kagome was silent for a moment, trying to take all this in, before she asked the question she was dreading to have answered.

"What about our baby, Inuyasha?" She asked, afraid he would say it didn't survive. "What happened to our baby?"

"Our daughter's fine, Kagome." Inuyasha said reassuringly. "She's with Sango and Miroku and their kids at the moment. She's not a baby anymore Kagome. She just turned five years old last month."

"Five years?!" Kagome gasped. "I've been… gone for five years." She couldn't bring herself to say the word 'dead', knowing how much it had hurt Inuyasha to say to the first time.

"Yes." Inuyasha said, that single word conveying a world of sadness.

"But… our daughter's okay?"

"Yes." Inuyasha said again, this time his voice sounding much happier.

"And what about you Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, her voice small. "Are you with anybody else now?" She would not have blamed him if he was, nor would she have blamed whomever he was with. Inuyasha was beautiful, and a good Mate, any woman would be lucky to have him. She could not reasonably expect that he would remain faithful to the memory of her after she had been dead five years. Although it would kill her to see him with another woman, she had been given a second chance to know her daughter and more than anything she wanted to see her and her father happy.

"No, I'm not with anyone else." Inuyasha said firmly. "How could I be, when my heart always belonged to you? It's… it's been so hard Kagome, living these last five years without you. If it wasn't for Takara, I don't think I would have been able to make it through it. She's the only thing that kept me going, that made me _want_ to keep going."

"Takara?" Kagome repeated, brightening. "You named our daughter Takara?"

"Of course." Inuyasha said. "It's what you wanted to name her, right?"

"It is." Kagome said. "Oh gods, Inuyasha, I was so scared I was going to lose you both. Can I see her?"

"Of course you can Kagome." Inuyasha said, standing up and helping her to do the same. "Let's go do that now."


	5. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha. While the plot and the lovely little Takara are my creations, everything else belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I make no profit off this, and do it only for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours.**

**Chapter 4 – Happy Family**

When the couple exited Kaede's hut, Inuyasha picked Kagome up and hurried off to Miroku and Sango's before anyone could spot them and ask questions. Like Kaede, he knew that Kagome's return would cause a lot of questions that could frankly wait. Today was going to be all about family only, everyone else could wait. It was time for Kagome to be reunited with her 'brother' and 'sister' and to meet her daughter for the first time.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, as Inuyasha headed to their friend's house. "What's Takara like?"

"Like everything I wasn't when I was her age." Inuyasha said happily. "Happy, polite, full of love. She looks just like you, you know."

"Just like me?" Kagome asked happily, yet she couldn't quite keep the slight hint of disappointment out of her voice. She had been hoping their child would have her father's cute ears. And maybe his eyes too, they were simply gorgeous after all.

"Well, almost." Inuyasha said, confused by the disappointment he could hear in his Mate's voice. "She has my eyes and my ears, but other than that…" He broke off when Kagome let out a happy laugh and hugged him around the neck as he continued to run. For a moment he was confused, but then he remembered how much Kagome had always loved his ears and he thought he understood.

#

It was lunchtime, and Takara was sitting down with her Aunt, Uncle and cousins to eat. She wondered where her daddy was, but knew he was often out for hours at a time protecting the village and that he always came back, so she wasn't worried. He would come back when everything was okay again.

Miroku and Sango on the other hand were confused. Miroku had told his wife of the strange way Inuyasha had acted when he came into Kaede's hut with the woman found by the river, and they had both seen him running between his and Kaede's huts like a man possessed. Something was going on, but they didn't know what, and that bothered them. Ever since Kagome had died, Inuyasha had become closer to the two of them than ever before. Their children were practically raised under the same roof. Why was he deliberately keeping them out of something that was clearly bothering him so much? Granted, it had only been a couple of hours but still…

Just then, the mat covering the door was pushed open and Inuyasha entered. Takara was happy to see him, and only the fact that she knew her aunt didn't like people leaving the table until everyone had finished eating kept her sitting instead of jumping up and engulfing her daddy in a hug like she wanted.

"Inuyasha, good to see you." Miroku said happily. "Care to join us?"

"In a minute, monk." Inuyasha said, grinning broadly. Clearly whatever had been bothering him earlier was gone, because the Hanyou looked happier than Miroku and Sango could remember seeing him in a long time. "There's someone here I think you'll be happy to see again." That said, he stepped out of the doorway and held the reed mat open for whoever was behind him to enter.

Sango was about ask who it was, when she felt her voice leave her in pure shock. For a moment, she forgot _when_ she was. Pulling her eyes off the young woman standing in her doorway with difficulty, she looked towards Miroku as if to ask him to tell her if she was seeing things. However, he was staring at the woman with what she assumed as the same look she had just been sporting. Hope, fear and pure disbelief.

"Ka, Kagome?" Miroku managed to choke out.

"Hi guys." She said softly, her voice just as they remembered it. "Miss me?"

Sango still couldn't speak, but she managed to squeal happily as she jumped to her feet and rushed over to hug her long thought lost 'sister'. With a laugh, Kagome hugged her back with equal strength. After a moment, Miroku hurried over as well and made it a three-way hug. All three of them had tears of joy running down their faces, while Inuyasha watched them with a huge smile.

"But, how?" Miroku asked when they finally separated. "You were… How?" Sango had been wondering the same thing, though at that moment she honestly didn't care _how_ this had happened, only that it had.

"We don't know exactly." Inuyasha said softly. "But the Shikon No Tama is gone. Even though I never made a wish on it, Kaede thinks if I wanted Kagome back badly enough it might have sensed that and made it happen."

Slowly, Miroku nodded as he processed this. It was possible, he and Kaede had only made the box to not let _negative_ emotions in, he had never considered the need to keep out an emotion like _love_. The Jewel might have very well sensed Inuyasha's love for Kagome and brought her back to him.

"Daddy?" A small voice spoke up from the table. "Who is this?"

Takara was confused. Her aunt and uncle said it was rude to leave the table before everyone was finished eating, but they had both done just that. And who was this woman? Takara had never seen her before, why was everyone so happy to see her? The way the woman was looking at her daddy was like those village women, the ones that wanted Daddy for their 'husband'. Takara didn't like the way her daddy looked at her either, so happy. Her daddy was only that happy to see her, and she felt a surge of jealousy rush through her. Would this woman be the one to succeed and take her daddy away from her? Well she wasn't getting him without a fight.

Kagome glanced over in the direction the voice had come from, and felt her heart instantly melt. Sitting there, looking right at her with a suspicious expression so much like Inuyasha's, was the cutest little girl Kagome had ever seen. And she was her daughter, her Takara, she had to be. Not only did her face look so much like her own had in all the pictures she had seen of herself at that age. The unbelievably cute puppy-dog ears on tope of her head, and her gorgeous golden eyes instantly made her stand out as Inuyasha's daughter. Inuyasha and her's. Oh Gods, she was so beautiful. Granted she looked suspicious right now, but then again why wouldn't she be, she didn't know her. Yet. That would all change soon, Kagome promised herself.

"Takara, sweetie, come here." Inuyasha said happily. "There's someone you should really meet."

Takara got up and walked over slowly, her eyes never leaving the strange woman. _You aren't getting Daddy without a fight._ Takara silently promised. _He's mine!_

"Takara, this is your Mommy." Inuyasha said softly. "Kagome, this is our daughter, Takara."

Takara was taken back. "My Mommy?" She squeaked. "But Aunt Sango said my Mommy went to Heaven! People don't come back from Heaven!"

Inuyasha looked at Sango and raised an eyebrow, to which Sango shrugged sheepishly. He knew under normal circumstances he would likely be mad at Sango for telling Takara that, right now he was too happy with the world to care.

"They can't, normally." Inuyasha said softly. "But there were special circumstances this time. When you're older and can understand better, we'll explain it to you. This really is your Mommy, Takara, she came back. Aren't you happy to see her?"

For a moment Takara neither moved or said anything. Then all at once she ran into her Mommy's arms with such forced she almost knocked her over. She was so happy she was crying. This was what she had wished for, just last night. She had a Mommy, and now her Daddy would be happy too!

As she hugged her daughter back, Kagome found herself crying as well. She had been convinced she would never get the chance to even see her child, to be holding her now was unbelievable. She had missed the first five years of her daughter's life, but that did not matter, she would not let that matter. She now had a chance to experience the rest of them, maybe even the possibility to have more children. She wasn't going to waste this miraculous second chance at life. She was so happy, and didn't intend to let either Inuyasha or Takara out of her sight at any point in the near future, and from the looks on their faces, they felt the same way about her.

As she snuggled further into her mommy's embrace, thinking about how her wish had come true, Takara grinned to herself.

_Now I wish I had a little brother or sister!_


	6. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha. While the plot and the lovely little Takara are my creations, everything else belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I make no profit off this, and do it only for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours.**

**Epilogue – A Child's Wish**

A year and a half later, Inuyasha sat outside Kaede's hut, Takara in his arms, worried out of his mind. It was not that long ago he had thought Kagome had been taken from him forever; to then have her suddenly back was like a dream come true. Now he was faced with the possibility of loosing her again, and he didn't think he could bear it.

Part of him knew he was being unreasonable. Women gave birth to children everyday. Kaede had delivered more than she could count. Sango had had four, and she had come out of it with no problems. Kagome was in prefect health, and it was unlikely that she would have any real problems. But since when did commonsense have anything to do with what the heart believes? Inuyasha just couldn't forget that Kagome was taken from him the day Takara was brought into the world, and he couldn't help but worry that his and Kagome's new child's arrival might also mean his love's second departure. He had been worried ever since he had first found out she was pregnant nine and a half months ago. His friends constant assurance she would be fine, that had she been able to deliver Takara the normal way six years ago she would have been fine then too, did nothing ease his worry, and he was sure that nothing would until he saw his new pup and his Mate with his own eyes, safe and sound. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ the child Kagome was having, but he was so afraid about what the cost might be. The loud shrieks that been coming from Kaede's hut for the last eight hours did nothing to ease his worry.

Trying to take his mind off things, Inuyasha looked around. Sitting in his lap was his daughter, anxious to see her new baby brother or sister, and upset by her mother's screams. She had gone through all this with the births of her younger 'cousins' of course, but it was far more scary when it was her own mommy crying out in pain.

Miroku sat a little bit apart from him, trying to keep his now two-year-old twins from killing each other. Ever since the two had learnt to walk they had been getting into trouble and seemed to be constantly competing with each other. Any desires Inuyasha mighty have had for twins of his own had disappeared the day of the 'food war' (as they now all called it) the boys had started over breakfast one day four months past. It took half the day to get Miroku and Sango's kitchen clean again. Yukio and Sachi sat slightly apart, trying to stay out of their younger brothers' way. Yukio seemed perfectly calm, already a pro at this. Sachi, only having been there when her mother gave birth once, tried to act like her brother but was falling slightly short.

Shippo sat on his other side, his new Mate, Akako, sitting next to him. After finding out that Kagome was back, it had become impossible to drag Shippo away from the village. Eventually, Akako had stopped trying and had simply moved here instead. Shippo looked almost as nervous as Inuyasha felt, not wanting to loose Kagome again either. Akako also looked nervous, but for a different reason. She knew she would have to go through the same thing come seven more months, seeing as she was now pregnant with Shippo's first child. The poor Kitsune Hanyou winced with every shriek, her hand unconsciously resting on her abdomen.

Kagome's family wasn't there, only because none of them had ever been able to travel through the well. Once they had found out she was alive, it had been almost as hard to drag her away from them as it was to drag Shippo away from her. For the first two weeks of her first visit back to her time, Kagome's mother hadn't let her out of the house. She hadn't even wanted to let go of her for the first two solid hours. They had all been ecstatic to hear that Kagome was expecting another child. None of them seemed worried that she would trouble with the delivery, though Kagome's mother did make it clear that she wished her daughter could give birth in her own time, in a modern 'hospital'. Kagome had said no, because of fears that like Takara her new child would have demon characteristics. Inuyasha was starting to wish they had taken her mother's advice anyway.

Sango wasn't there, as she was inside helping Kaede with the birth.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Kagome's screams stopped, and another cry could be heard. Inuyasha, along with everyone else instantly perked up, and waited for someone to emerge from the hut to tell them something.

Impossibly, the next few minutes seemed to take even longer than the last eight hours did, but Sango did finally emerge, her smile instantly relaxing Inuyasha and letting him know that everything was okay.

"Kagome's doing fine, and so is the baby." Sango said happily. "Inuyasha, she wants to see you and Takara now, though she asked that everyone else wait until she's feeling stronger."

Feeling almost as if he was in a trance, Inuyasha got up cradling Takara in his arms, and headed towards the hut. As he was going, Sango went over to sit next to her husband and children, waddling slightly at the weight of the fifth child she was carrying.

Setting Takara down at the entrance, Inuyasha slowly pushed open the reed mat and walked inside. He had to hold Takara to his side so that she didn't just run over and jump on her mother, risking hurting her and the pup.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked softly, his eyes easily making her out in the slightly dim light of the hut, lying on a futon against the far wall. "Are you okay?" The Hanyou barely noticed the older Miko folding the bloodied sheets by her feet, all his attention on his beautiful Mate and the cloth wrapped bundle in her arms.

"Yes, I'm fine Inuyasha." Kagome said happily. "And so is our son."

At those words, Inuyasha uncertainly walked over to her and knelt by her side. Takara happily followed, squatting down so that she too could see her baby brother. When Kagome gently moved the blanket so that they can look at the new pup's face, for moment neither of them could think of what to say. As Takara took after Kagome, the new pup took after Inuyasha, and also had his hair as well as his ears. His eyes however, were the same warm brown as Kagome's.

"Kagome." Inuyasha breathed out. "He's prefect."

"I know." Kagome said happy, returning her gaze to her son. "Do you know what you want to call him? It's only fair you should get to choose his name, since I chose Takara's."

"How about Kichiro?" Inuyasha offered.

"'Lucky Son'? I like it." Kagome agreed.

Takara was watching all this in pure joy. Part of her wondered whether she should make a wish, seeing as she was one such a roll. However seeing her mommy's exhausted face, and knowing how upset her daddy had been the last several hours, she thought it would be better to keep her next wish small.

_I wish we could have ramen for dinner!_

**Author's notes: **I don't know where I got the idea for this story. As cliché as it sounds, I just woke up this morning and had to write it. For anyone out there wondering; Takara means treasure; Kagome was twenty-one when she died and so that was how old she was physically when she was brought back; I don't know what Miroku and Sango's next child will be; and no I am not at this time planning a squeal, although I might write one one day. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me them in a review. I hope you enjoyed reading 'A Child's Wish' as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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